State Insurance Department Probing Ethics Complaint

The state insurance department is trying to determine whether one of its high-ranking managers had a conflict of interest when she helped her husband, a deputy sheriff, serve legal papers.

Insurance Commissioner George M. Reider Jr. said Tuesday that Carolyn A. Carey of Newington, the department's fiscal administration manager, was on vacation from her $73,000-a-year job when she helped her husband, Edward J. Carey.

But Reider said Carolyn Carey may have had a conflict of interest and the department is still reviewing the matter.

The department received a complaint last week that Carey was serving legal papers when she should have been at work in her state job.

Edward Carey, a special deputy sheriff for Hartford County, said his wife drove him around in their car but he served court papers at CT Corporation System. The company, at 1 Commercial Plaza in Hartford, is authorized to act as an agent and receive court papers for officers of other companies.

``She's done nothing illegal,'' Edward Carey said.

Carolyn Carey refused to comment.

Sheriff Walter J. Kupchunos Jr. said he is conducting his own investigation to determine whether the court documents were properly served. If they were not served correctly by the deputy sheriff, Kupchunos said, Edward Carey would face disciplinary action. He did not say what the action might be.

Sgt. Matthew Hennessy, a supervising city sheriff, said Edward Carey could also face civil liability if a case is thrown out of court because of improper service of documents.

Carey said he and his wife are the victims of a political maneuver designed to embarrass Kupchunos, who faces re-election in November. Carey vowed to sue ``whoever is spreading these lies -- they don't care who they hurt.''

Edward Carey said Robert Miller of New Haven, the president of the state deputy sheriffs' association, filed the complaint with the insurance department.

Miller said he had heard about the case involving Edward Carey but did not have any first-hand knowledge of the allegation.

Miller said he has heard of deputy sheriffs' spouses serving court documents, but said the practice is illegal.